Summer is busy in Europe, no matter what the economy says. Travel is sort of like beer: you drink it when you’re up because you can … and you gulp it when you’re down to drown your sorrows. When economies sour, travel opportunity opens up: cheap hotels, car rental deals, air fare discounts. This off-season is yet replete with special places for the heads-up traveler.

Italy’s Amalfi coast exhibits some of the most picturesque scenery in the world: vertical towns, scintillating waters, sea air breezes, and dining al fresco. Before June, July & August heat and tourist crowds claim these narrow streets and roads, you can still bag a pension overlooking the Med, and sip sherry on the pebble beaches as the western skies burn crimson in sunset.

Positano is one vertical town that captures imaginations because it’s been in the imagination business since its 10th Century founding. Shipping was its business, and the sea provided its riches. Today all of that history reflects upon you in its cream and peach villas, the dome of the cathedral of St. Maria Assunta, and its famous sandals made to order in any one of a dozen local shops.

If your idea of Italy is Rome, Florence, and Venice, your history is in the right place, but for laid back excitement that lets your feet bathe in Mediterranean waves, the Amalfi coast holds all your desires.

mark Travel News amalfi coast, hill towns, Italy, off-season trips

Vltava River Bridges

But Euro-cities are still accessible. First thing is, you have to put costs into perspective: people earn a helluva lot more money these days than the 1970s. Which means that European travel can be met for as little as $100 per day (excluding air fair — sorry).

One city meeting this price ceiling is Prague, Czech Republic. Tourists can purchase discount cards (www.praguecard.biz/) offering savings on pubic transport and free entrance to more than 50 top sites throughout the “city of 100 spires.” Attractions such as evening concerts, Prague’s fantastic zoo, the national art gallery and museum at the top of Wenceslaus square, and shopping & dining — all these savings amount to more cash in your pocket.

Walking tours are a great way to see Prague (and any city), and for years now Free Prague Tours (www.freepraguetours.eu) has taken groups through Old Town and the Jewish Ghetto for on-the-spot talks on architecture, shopping, garden & parks, churches, and city markets.

For accommodation, you need to shop around, but affordable digs everywhere, especially if you travel in groups of 3 or 5 or more, when you can get shared rooms and even negotiate (larger groups) on multi-room rates. For example, the Cloister Inn has $75/night rates within Prague’s historic Old Town; the buildings date to the middle ages and were once used by secret police. How’s that for the weird factor?

Food in Prague runs the gamut of prices, but often if you simply walk off a main street, you’ll find a small restaurant serving authentic Czech food for reasonable prices ($1.50 beers & $7 goulash plates). Don’t worry about language, as most restaurant servers speak English, and menus often are multi-linguistic.

Prague is hard to beat for a cheap European destination, but since we’re all used to doing some travel homework, you’ll discover numerous bonuses with quality websites, a good handbook, and plain old intuition.

mark Travel Tips Prague, tips